Guest Post: Making Room For Big Dreams

I’m excited to bring you this post from Megan Starbuck. Megan is a guru at getting rid of the clutter in your life. You can check out her blog where she tells you all about how to practically get rid of junk you are storing up. She is the opposite of a hoarder and can help you find space you never knew you had. Her post talks about how to get rid of clutter in your life in order to chase your dreams. Enjoy!

“You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make”.

-Gorden B. Hinkley

Although my main focus for 2015 has been to get rid of clutter around the house, what led me to that pursuit was the desire to simplify my life. I began by paying off $25k in student loans in three years. My next goal was to stay debt-free while getting land and a tiny house before I turn 30.

What’s Important to You?The reason behind these goals was so that I could be available when opportunities came my way, whether it means spending a month with my sister as she adjusts to life with a newborn or traveling out of the country with my church. I soon learned that if I’m not intentional with how I spend my time, then it will be filled with activities that aren’t very important to me.

With any big goal or dream I’ve pursued, at some point I wondered if it was worth it. I’ve also discovered that I’m not the only one. We give up time and energy to learn new skills required for reaching our goals. We also give up negative relationships and distractions. But what’s most difficult is giving up good things and deciding what we’re willing to give up. When pursuing a goal, you always give up something, but you never give up everything. The best part is that you get to choose, and if you like where things are going then you can change it.

PrioritizeMore and more I stop to think about what’s important to me. A few things change depending on where I am in life, but for the most part, my list remains the same. I just seem to forget it and not live in a way that reflects those priorities. So I go back to it every six months or so. I ask myself if my current lifestyle supports those things that are important to me the best that they can. If not, I think of practical ways to improve. I ask myself what changes I can make.

Questions to Ask Yourself
What do I need to add to make my life more complete and fulfilling? What can I get rid of to make room for those things? No matter what we do, someone will think our priorities are good and someone else will think they’re bad. That’s why we need to know where we stand for ourselves. Then we can find the people who support us. We can listen to them and not just those who say they support us. Because we know our priorities, we will know the difference. The key to living with no regrets is giving up possessions and activities that are good and important but not as important as our goals. It means pursuing our dreams despite the questions, doubts, and concerns people throw our way. Taking the time to ask ourselves these questions and make these changes will at first seem like we’re giving up too much. It’s hard. But I’ve always found that it’s worth it.

Even writing about it makes me feel like it would be no fun. But while living it, I find it to be very freeing. Checking in with myself helps me to be present in each moment. If I’m playing with my nieces and nephews, I don’t have to feel guilty for not writing a blog post. While writing is one of my priorities, so is family.

What activities in your schedule can you say no to more often so that you can spend more time on a current goal?

If you like this post, I’d also recommend checking out Jenny Jones Thompson. Once you clean out your closet, she can help you stay in style for a fraction of the price!